AIA 2030 Commitment By the Numbers

See the numbers, take a step forward...

As the need for private sector leadership in combating climate change becomes more pronounced, the AIA 2030 Commitment program offers architects a way to publicly show their dedication and track progress toward a carbon-neutral future. AIA reports annually on the results of projects reported in the 2030 portfolio, with the 2016 “By the Numbers” summary report now available for download. In addition to the summary overview, stay tuned for supplemental stories with targeted insights from the 2016 reporting.

Since 2009, participants in the Commitment have reported the performance of their firm portfolios over each calendar year. The data, collected via the 2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx), includes building type, area, baseline energy performance, and predicted energy performance. Among the data points reported are firm participation, total area of number of projects reported, percentage of projects that used energy simulation, and overall progress toward the 2030 goals.

Key takeaways from the 2016 Progress Report:

projects reported an average predicted energy use intensity (pEUI) savings of 42% in 2016, climbing from 38% in 2015 and continuing the steps forward that the 2030 Commitment has taken over the last few years.

though the 42% pEUI savings doesn’t reach the current overall target of 70% or more, we continue to see that these targets are reachable, as demonstrated by the six firms that achieved portfolio-average pEUI savings of 70% greater, and by the 331 individual projects that also met or exceeded the target.

in 2016, the number of reporting firms grew to 175 firms, a 15% increase from 2015. Additionally, with 53 new firms signing on to the Commitment, the overall number of signatories is now more than 400.

the potential energy savings from all 2016 projects represent approximately 16.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent of running almost five coal-fired power plants or powering 1.76 million homes in a year ( EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator).

our numbers continue to demonstrate that energy modeling is an essential component of success, with modeled projects averaging pEUI reductions of just over 50%, as compared to only a 35% pEUI reduction for projects that were not modeled. However, as the share of modeled projects declined from 2015, it is clear that work is needed to better incorporate energy modeling across the board.